Waiting for the carpenter

I was late going into work this morning as I wanted to meet the carpenter who is putting in a couple of gates for us. So, whilst waiting, I took a cup of coffee into the garden to enjoy the warm September sunshine.In the field behind us I could see a magpie tearing at the body of a fallen wood pigeon, the feather scatter stretching out from the corpse in all directions. By the front gate I could see the muddy grass had been heavily disturbed during the night – ‘snouted’ is my new word for the activity – most likely by a badger looking for worms and other morsels in the damp litter.And as I stood on the steps in back garden my eye was caught by movement below in the fading flowers and plants. At first I thought it was a bumble-bee, perhaps struggling for warmth to get it’s flying motors running. Another look however revealed it to be a tiny shrew, pushing it’s way through the stems and leaves. A first sighting in the garden from memory and a lovely way to start a Friday morning.